Ruling clears way for Katy Perry to buy hilltop convent

Katy Perry arrives at the 51st annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 3, 2016, in Las Vegas. Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

LOS ANGELES — A judge on Wednesday voided the sale of a former Catholic convent to a Los Angeles businesswoman, clearing the way for Katy Perry to purchase the hilltop property.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephanie Bowick ruled that attempts to sell the property to the businesswoman by members of an order of elderly nuns were improper.

Perry has sought to buy the hilltop property in the Los Feliz neighborhood for $14.5 million and to relocate an adjoining house of prayer used by priests. Her bid has the approval of Los Angeles’ archbishop but would have to be approved by the Vatican.

The Roman villa-style convent sits on 8 acres.

The “Roar” singer’s efforts to buy the aging hilltop home were stymied when some members of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary opted to sell the convent to entrepreneur Dana Hollister.

Hollister recorded a deed on the property, but Bowick’s ruling rescinds it. She had plans to turn it into a boutique hotel, which drew concerns from some neighbors.

The archdiocese wrote it in a statement that it was gratified by the ruling and promised it would take care of the nuns.

“The archdiocese will continue to provide pastoral outreach and care to the sisters,” the statement read. “We will take any necessary steps to continue to protect the sisters and ensure that any transaction on the sale of the property will provide them with immediate funding for their care.”

Bowick ruled that Los Angeles’ archbishop has to first authorize any sale, and the nuns did not receive his permission before entering into an agreement with Hollister.